Fundamental Change

The ‘enemy’ has been identified: China has declared “war on pollution”. We take a closer look this month into the key ingredients required to wage a successful war against water pollution. Are there key areas of focus? What are the current stratagems & offensives? Is MEP reform from “mountaintop to the ocean” crucial for success? What are the policies implemented over the past year and what other fundamental changes need to take place? With almost 87% of the public concerned over food safety and drinking water, all eyes are on heavy metal pollution from industry as excessive discharge has led to soil contamination and fears over cadmium & chromium rice. We discuss at length with Professor Ma Zhong, Dean of the School of Environment at Renmin University fundamental issues in industrial water and how current standards and pricing are set so that it is cheaper to pollute than to clean up. Don’t know anything about wastewater in China, start by checking out our 8 facts on wastewater. The situation is urgent – current water pollution has to be dealt with as wastewater will only rise with increasing urbanisation. Can China’s cities meet this rising demand for water? Shanghai Green Initiatives Nitin Dani and Georgina Glanfield share their thoughts on how the public can play a role.